Corn-harvester.



No. 790,711. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

D. E. ANTHONY. 001m HARVESTER.

APPLIUATION FILED DEO.11, 1901.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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PATENTED MAY 23, 1905 D. E. ANTHONY.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.11, 1901..

4 SHBETSSHEET 2 N0.'79O,711. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

D. E. ANTHONY. I

CORN HAEVESTER.

APPLICATION IEI'LED DEG, 11, 1901.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 glummufoz:

No. 790,711. PATENTED MAY 23, 1905. D. E. ANTHONY.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.11, 1901.

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NITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

DANIEL E. ANTHONY, OF AKRON, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EMERY E. MELLEN, OF AKRON, IOl/VA.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 790,7 11, dated May 23, 1905.

Applieatinn filed December 11, 1901. Serial do 85,505.

To mil, whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL ELMER AN- THONY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Plymouth and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in corn-harvesters of the character illustrated in the Letters Patent to me, January 1, 1900, and numbered 665,301; and my invention consists of certain details of construction whereby to facilitate the operation and secure increased efficiency in this class of structures, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a corn-harvester embodying my improvements. Fig. 2

' is a longitudinal sectional view taken on a line through the corn-passage of Fig. 6, showing the inner face of the inside gatherer. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the arrangement of the gate in relation to the snapping-rolls. Fig. I" is a longitudinal section on the line 4 4:, Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5, Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 6 is a plan view. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the snapping-rolls.

The general features of the machine constituting the subject of this application are substantially the same as those illustrated and described in my aforesaid Letters Patent, being a frame supported by suitable wheels and provided with a drivers seat a and the frame supporting two gatherers G G, with a space between them for the passage of the stalks of corn, which are operated upon by the conveyers 13, 1 1, and 17, provided with any suitable teeth or fingers to direct the stalks toward the rolls J K, between which they pass and by means of which the ears are snapped or detached from the stalks. I will not describe in detail the construction and arrangement of all these parts, but will refer to those features which embody the improvements which constitute the subject of this application.

As shown, each gatherer Gr is of a substantially triangular shape, the lower edge being approximately horizontal and arranged near the ground and presenting a forward point or toe 91. I have found that it is best that this toe shall be a little higher than a point 9, a short distance at the rear, where the gatherer is nearest the surface of the ground. If, therefore, the point 9 makes contact with the ground, the point i will be above and will not dig into the ground. It will also be seen that by this construction the bottom conveyerchain 17, which terminates at its lower end adjacent to the point 9, can be arranged much closer to the ground than in former constructions without danger of the toe '2: entering the ground, thus enabling the machine to pick up stalks which may be lying on the ground. Each gatherer is inclined toward the other from the top to the lower edge and is so formed or inclined that this lower edge, between the points 2' and g, is not only approximately horizontal or downwardly inclined toward the rear, as just described, but also inclines toward the opposite gatherer, so that the two edges 20 2O converge toward the rear, as in the construction shown in my aforesaid Letters Patent. I also make use of endless conveyers, as in my patented machine; but instead of slotting the gatherers for the passage of the fingers of the conveyers I arrange the pulleys to extend through openings therein to the inner faces of the gatherers and conduct the conveyers along the inner faces of the gatherers, as shown in Fig. 2. I thus dispense with the necessity of guides or slots as in my patented machine.

Each conveyer may consist of two endless chains carried opposite each other by the two gatherers, or there may be but one chain, with pins or teeth extending outward far enough to engage the stalks.

The snapping-rolls J and K are substantially upright and preferably inclined backward and inward toward the center of the machine, and between which it is desired to feed the stalks while standing vertically. To secure this result without too great pressure and friction, one roll is provided with spiral grooves so inclined, as set forth in my aforesaid patent, that each groove will be substantially vertical at the points where it is opposite the other roll, and the latter is provided with projections in the form of isolated teeth 2 2, which so engage the stalks as to catch and hold them in and feed them through the grooves of the opposite roll. These teeth are shown as angular projections from the surface of the roll J; but they may be of any form which will present points of engagement with the stalks. The spiral grooves in the roll K are so formed as to present a more rapid twist, which is equivalent to a decreasing pitch, toward the upper end, so as to conform to the forward bend of the top of the stalk as the machine moves away from it.

Sometimes the mass of stalks passing be tween the rolls is very large and would tend to strain or break the parts if there were no provision for relief. I therefore provide yielding bearings for the lower end of one or both rolls. These may be secured in different ways; but as ordinarily it is desired to support the rolls with great rigidity I prefer to secure the yielding support by so constructing the frame as to spring under stress. As shown, the two gatherers are supported by two separated parts B Oof the frame, connected only at the rear by the cross-bar 3 and above by the cross-pieces 7 and 8, the part B supporting the bearing for the lower end of the roll K and the part C supporting the bearing of the roll J. To prevent too ready yielding of the part B, which is the lightest and most likely to yield, I extend a brace-rod 4 from a point of connection 5 with the part B and through the bar 3 and provide it with tightening devices, as nuts 6. By putting.

great stress on the brace 4 the part B is converted into a very rigid truss or girder and the yield, while permitted, is reduced to a minimum.

In my patented machine there is a sectional gate. As constructed in said machine the gate does not completely close the space between the rolls J K, so that ears of corn can sometimes escape at this point. To prevent this, I recess the roll adjacent to the gate, as the roll J, Fig. 2, forming an annular groove 19, into which the movable leaf m of the gate may extend far enough to close said space.

It will be noted that the roll extends below the gate and below the groove 19, so as to engage and grasp and guide the stalks. The gate may be sectional or in one piece, as desired.

It sometimes happens that the snappingrolls act upon some of the ears to shell the corn therefrom. To prevent loss of the grains, I place adjacent to the rolls and partially encircling the inner one at the rear a long vertically-arranged receiver Q in such position as to receive the grains, and from this receiver I extend a chute s to a position to deliver the grains onto the elevating-belt or into any suit able receptacle.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement shown, I claim 1. The combination in a corn-harvester, of

inclined rolls, one with spiral grooves, the twist of which is more rapid toward the upper ends to present channels parallel to the stalks at the difiierent points where the latter are engaged, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a corn-harvester, of the inclined snapping-rolls, one having spiral grooves, the twist of the grooves being more rapid toward the upper end than at the lower part of the roll, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the snapping-rolls, the frame having two parts supporting the bearings of the rolls and connected to permit one part to yield laterally in respect to the other, and an adjustable brace for varying the stiifness of the yielding part as may be required, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the gatherers, two approximately upright rotatable rolls, supported so as to yield laterally in respect to each other at their lower ends, and means for varying the stiffness of one of the roll-supports, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of the snapping-rolls, and a movable gate, one of the rolls having an annular groove to receive said gate, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the gatherers each having an approximately horizontal lower edge slightly inclined downward and rearward from the forward end to a point g, and endless conveyers, each consisting of a toothed endless chain or band arranged to engage the stalks adjacent to said point 9 on said lower edge with one part extending along the inner face of the gather-er, substantially as set forth. I

7. The combination, with upwardly and rearwardly inclined snapping-rolls, of a receiver arranged to the rear of and partially encircling the inner roll, a conveyer leading from in front of the lower end of said rolls, and a chute from the lower end of the receiver to the conveyer, substantially asdescribed.

8. The combination, in a corn-harvester, of separated gatherers, each being inclined in a substantially straight line toward the other from the top and provided with openings, pulleys mounted so as to project at their inner edge through said openings, endless conveyers on said pulleys, a portion of each of which conveyers passes along the inner face of the gatherer and the other portion passes to the outer face thereof, and snapping-rolls to the rear of said gatherers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL E. ANTHONY.

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. FOSTER, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

